Playing Co-op

 

I very fondly remember solving crossword puzzles with my mother and aunt, at about nine years of age. Even as I mention it now, it brings a warm feeling as the nostalgia takes effect. There was a sort of ritual to the way we went about doing crosswords. One could never attempt to solve the puzzle alone, the first round of answers would be written in pencil then after solving a significant amount of the puzzle ink would be used. At that time, we had very limited access to the internet, so there were no search engines to help in finding answers. This made the task incredibly stimulating, when you find yourself pondering what the answer to the clue, five words down for a city in Australia with an R in the middle. 

Reflecting on who I am as a person, I would say I dearly enjoy the company of loved ones. One particular form in which I enjoy their company is when, we are both participating in a task, or chore, or project, or a game, or we are trying to overcome a challenge. There is just something about doing something with a companion, that helps me build a bond with the person. There does not even have to be much talking going on, we could just be having a rally of table tennis and grunting at each other, and a connection of a different sort is established that conversations can not capture. 

It reminds me of many times, I'd have my friend over, back in primary school. We would play Contra, a two dimensional shooting game, that had a two player mode. We would play for hours and often it would take my mother intervening once it got too dark outside, and it was past my friend's curfew. Recently I tried playing an iteration of Contra, I then remembered how difficult the game was. Clearing a single level would take at least twelve tries on a good day, and in total this game has about eight stages, which I have never completed. What made suffering through each stage of the game was the company of my friend. We would cheer each other on as we made our attempts at beating the boss. We would remind each other where the pitfalls are in the game. 

This made the whole experience more than just playing a video game with my friend. This taught me the sweet feeling of synergy, when two people begin to work in tandem and understand each other. The hours we spent playing together, we spent building our communication and understanding of each other. Although as time went by, and due to life and the circumstances it presents to us, I fell out of touch with my friend. I now can still play video games online with one of my best friends and we are not limited by geography, only my internet speed is the challenge that gets in the way. Perhaps intrinsically, there is something in all of us that makes us go on adventures as a collective rather than going alone. There is a joy in being able to pick up a fallen comrade, and a peace in knowing that there is someone behind you to help catch you when you fall. At the end of the night when my best friend and I are on a losing streak of five games, we remember the real prize has always been friendship and not upgrading our ranks. I mean sure winning is nice, but the truth is losing with a loved one is far much better. 

There's the IKEA test for compatibility, the rule is that if you can assemble a piece of IKEA furniture with your girlfriend or boyfriend, and you do not have an homicidal thoughts because of how frustrating the process is going. It perhaps is a strong indicator that you are compatible for matrimony. Doing something together and having a common objective always draws me closer to people. Cooking together brings out a flavour in people I do not normally get to experience. Painting the living room together with housemates makes me more at home with them. I just really like doing stuff with people, no matter how mundane it may be and I just want to say a big thank you and an I love you to everyone who has ever participated with me in an activity.